Athletic Department

Kim Abbott

Kim Abbott is the first athletic director of Columbia International University, building the foundation for the future of a CIU athletics program. She came to CIU in 2010 from the University of South Carolina-Beaufort, where as athletic director, she oversaw that school’s entry into intercollegiate athletics from 2005-2010.

Abbott began her professional career in athletics as a women’s golf coach, first at Dartmouth College from 1989-1991, and then at the University of South Carolina’s (USC) main campus in Columbia from 1991-1994. From 1998-2005, she held administrative positions in the athletic department at USC.

Having a Christian witness in athletics is important to Abbott. She has been involved in The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) for several years, and currently serves on the executive board of the Midlands FCA in Columbia, S.C.

Abbott is a competitive golfer, having played in numerous national and local tournaments. She was the winner of the Women’s South Carolina Golf Championship in 1994 and the Columbia Women’s Golf Championship in 2003. She has also served as an instructor of women and junior golfers.

She is married to David Abbott and has an adult step-son, Bryan Abbott, and a daughter, Mary Ellen who participates in athletics at Ben Lippen School.